Delhi High Court Sets Aside CIC Order on PM Flight Records
· India · Times of India, The Independent
The Delhi High Court has set aside a Central Information Commission order that directed the Indian Air Force to disclose flight records of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Justice Amit Mahajan ruled that disclosing the Special Flight Returns could compromise national security and the personal safety of security personnel. The ruling came on a petition filed by the Central Public Information Officer of the Directorate of Personal Services against a 2020 CIC directive. The initial RTI plea was filed in 2018 by retired Commodore Lokesh K Batra seeking details of foreign visits on IAF aircraft from April 1, 2013 onward. The court upheld the IAF's refusal under Section 8 of the RTI Act, stating that public expenditure on foreign visits does not justify exposing sensitive security deployments.
Why it matters
The ruling reinforces the primacy of national security exemptions under the RTI Act when handling sensitive travel and protection records of high-office holders.
Read the original report — Times of India
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